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Untitled Document
About a week later, while heading out of the river mouth
on her way to school, Tsunami shivered as she remembered the audition. She couldn't
imagine a more harrowing experience… and what made it worse was that she knew
she hadn't sung her best.
She as well as her friends knew that she could
sing (though they seemed to have a better opinion of her voice than she did)
and she had totally blown this, her sole chance to actually exercise it, and
share it with everyone else in Turquoise Sea! She was thought of just a quiet,
shy little creature who kept her head down, got average grades, and didn't even
strive to brighten up her plain green coat with flashier colours. It was the
opportunity to let the rest of Turquoise Sea know that she wasn't a nobody who
simply existed in her world.
But… did she really want people to notice her?
To be famous, and popular?
All of a sudden the old shyness returned to
swamp the sudden rush of audacity. Fyora, had she really thought of sharing
her voice with the school? No, no. She was perfectly happy as she was. She had
good enough grades, loyal friends, a happy family life… what more did this Peophin
want in the world? What would sharing her singing do for her anyway? It was
probably for the best, anyhow, that she hadn't done well in the auditions. How
could she even think of being cast as Harquin? They wanted a bubbly Peophin
with verve and charisma to spare, not a timid, introverted Peophin with a plain
green coat.
But still, what if… no. No. It couldn't possibly
be. Tsunami squashed the last plaintive whisper of her sudden boldness as she
flipped her tail and flew above the surface of the waves in a great curving
arc, scattering diamond droplets that gleamed with rainbows in the sunlight
before splashing back into the depths in a spray of white foam and silvery water,
leaving a glistening trail of effervescence in her wake as she sped down to
Turquoise Sea.
On the way in to class, the others caught her
by the mane again. Smiling, Kainitsa pointed to a new Uniocto-ink message beside
the one with Harquin's picture.
It was a list of the pets that had managed places
in the musical. With a feeling of wonderment and disbelief Tsunami saw her name,
with a host of others, under the heading that read: 'Aquatic Chorus'. "See,"
Streak said triumphantly, "I told you you'd make it."
"That's right," Raiiek grinned.
" 'Practices after school on Thursdays and Tuesdays
lasting two hours'," Mirow read. " 'Until the musical starts…' …holy Kau, that's
a month from now."
"We'll stay back and wait for you, Su," Kainitsa
reassured her. "I'm sure you'll do great."
Tsunami gave her friends a grateful smile. "Thanks,
you guys."
"This is a great song," Tsunami murmured to
herself, as she flipped over the pages between her bronze-gold hooves, a booklet
of the songs the Aquatic Chorus would have to learn.
"Isn't it!"
Startled, she looked up to see a young yellow
Jetsam looking over her shoulder. Her sharp pointed teeth were set in what looked
like a snarl but Tsunami knew it was meant to be a friendly smile. She had often
felt sorry for Jetsams; they were such misunderstood creatures. They wouldn't
hurt a creature if they could help it, unless it was for food. And kill for
fun? Never.
"You're in the Aquatic Chorus? Great! So am
I. I'm Rechaka. What's your name?"
"Tsunami."
"That's nice. Tell me, have you done any singing
before?"
"Oh, nothing special, I just sing with my friends."
"Really… I'm in the school choir. You ever thought
of joining?"
The notion had never crossed Tsunami's mind,
and anyway the remembrance of singing a solo on stage just a week ago made her
shudder.
"No… not really… I never gave it much thought.
I do like to sing though," she added.
Rechaka threw back her head and laughed. "Come
on then. Let's practice these songs. Here's a nice one." She turned and slid
over to a nearby piano. "I can sight-read from the score. You can sight sing?"
"Oh, yes. My owner taught me to read notes."
The Jetsam settled herself into the seat and
placed her bright orange fins on the black and white keys. A cheerful song rose
from the instrument. Tsunami sang the lyrics off the score as her new friend
played and sang with her.
It was wonderful. The music wasn't in her ears
anymore, it resounded through every fiber of her slender body. It was her. Blissfully
unconscious of everything else but the words on the page and the music in her,
she sang on.
Eventually she opened her eyes after the last
chorus to see Rechaka staring at her with an expression of incredulity.
"Wow," she murmured, in awe, "you can really
sing!"
Instantly Tsunami's self-consciousness returned
in all its strength, chiding her for letting herself go so easily. She lowered
her head in embarrassment.
"I'm sorry," she mumbled, "I didn't mean to-"
"Why'd they put you in the Aquatic Chorus?"
Rechaka burst out. "You deserve a solo role!"
"I don't want one," Tsunami replied, as calmly
as she could. "I… I couldn't sing at the audition. My voice just… it couldn't
sing. I could get the words out only with some force." The memory of that awful
day was filling her with dread again.
"I… I can't. I have stage fright. I need to
sing with someone or… I won't be able to… sing like that."
Rechaka gazed thoughtfully at her for a while,
and eventually nodded.
"Well, fine, if that's true. But you deserve
way better than the Aquatic Chorus, I can tell you."
Tsunami groaned inwardly. Why was everyone so
set that she be in the spotlight? Was she really that good? But she just sang
because she wanted to. She didn't want fame or a solo item…
Or do you? asked the little voice in
her head again. Can't you see you could be great if you wanted to? There
are many pets and people who would be grateful for a voice like yours, a chance
to make it big. You have that chance. Why do you turn away and hide in your
shell? Wasting your talent, that's what you're doing…
Tsunami shook her head firmly. She turned to
Rechaka again, trying to dispel the nagging thought.
"Come on, let's do another song."
It doesn't take a genius, Shell thought,
as she sat in her study before her computer, staring unseeingly at her own words
on the screen, to figure out that something is wrong with Tsunami.
She tried marshalling her brain to think of
what else to do with her new, half-finished story, but she had been writing
all day, and now the picture of her Peophin returning home that afternoon kept
returning to her. In her mind's eye she could see Tsunami's weary blue-green
eyes, and her unenthusiastic step as she dragged herself up to her room. This
was so unlike Su; she looked so jaded and old.
"Well, I'm not getting any more writing done
tonight," Shell sighed, turning off her computer. "Just as well, I'm tuckered
out too."
"Shell?" Dasher's golden head appeared around
the corner of the door. "Dinner's ready."
"I'm coming, Dash," the girl replied tiredly.
"But I wish you'd go and talk to your sister."
Dasher's expression turned from quizzical to
serious.
"Oh yes, she wasn't looking like herself today.
I think it might have something to do with her school's musical."
"I agree," Shell replied, rubbing a hand across
her eyes and using the other to hook strands of her shoulder-length dark hair
behind her ear. "It's not her friends, they've been wonderful, but she's been
troubled ever since she got home today from her practice."
"And she's got another one on Thursday," Dasher
murmured thoughtfully.
"I'd rather you talked to her, Dash. I'm so
mentally drained I can barely think anymore."
"Tell Wen and Flo to save some food for me.
Su 'll be fine." With that, Dasher was out of the room and halfway up the stairs.
Shell smiled. Dasher's heart was a large and warm one and her optimistic nature
was contagious. Her owner had no doubt Tsunami would be in good paws.
To be continued...
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